First Delta flight from LA to Brisbane makes history using LA28 Olympic aircraft

One of the world’s largest airlines has landed in Brisbane for the first time, with the particular aircraft drawing global attention.

Delta Air Lines – one of the largest carriers in the world – has landed in Brisbane for the first time, and the increased capacity and competition is great news for Aussies wanting cheaper airfares.

The inaugural flight from Los Angeles, which touched down in the Queensland capital on Friday morning, was extra special as it was operated by Delta’s LA28 Olympic livery aircraft. It is the same aircraft that carried Team USA athletes and the Olympic Flag from Paris to Los Angeles following the closing ceremony in Paris earlier this year.

Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics, while Brisbane will host in 2032.

The flight was expected to draw eyes from across the world with Brisbane Airport even livestreaming the landing on YouTube.

“With its very unique LA28 livery, there will be eyes around the world watching as this flight symbolically connects two host cities, and we expect it to roar up the charts of the most tracked flight in the world on FlightRadar24,” Brisbane Airport spokesman Peter Doherty said ahead of the landmark flight.

There was even a watch-party in Los Angeles for aviation enthusiasts.

Brisbane Airport livestreamed the landing. Picture: Brisbane Airport

The inaugural flight was extra special as it was operated by Delta’s LA28 Olympic livery aircraft. Picture: Josh Woning/ J&A Photography

The arrival of Delta in Brisbane is good news for Queensland tourism and Australian travellers heading to the US.

James Kavanagh, Australian managing director for Flight Centre Travel Group, explained that when an airline enters a new market, they typically offer good deals to “create some buzz and get bums on seats,” and when other airlines try to compete with the newcomer it can lead to a “price war”.

“Delta’s launch of seasonal flights between Brisbane and LA from December this year has certainly helped bring fares down, with travellers benefiting from the increased capacity and competition,” Mr Kavanagh said.

“We’re seeing some great low fares across carriers right now so it’s certainly a great time to look at a trip to the USA, and in particular, LA.

“In addition to the direct routes on sale, for those who prefer to stop somewhere along the way, carriers like Air Canada, Fiji Airways and Air New Zealand are offering indirect fares that are also very affordable.”

news.com.au previously revealed Australians travelling to Canada were stopping by Fiji and saving hundreds of dollars.

Mr Kavanagh said Brisbane was leading the charge for airline seat capacity into the US with January next year set to deliver around 125 per cent of pre-pandemic availability, compared to Sydney’s 83 per cent.

In October, American Airlines launched its non-stop flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Brisbane, which significantly marked the longest route by distance flown by the airline.

DL93 from Los Angeles to Brisbane touched down on Friday morning. Picture: flightradar24

Brisbane is now the second Australian location Delta flies to, in addition to Sydney.

Speaking on the Brisbane Airport livestream after stepping off the flight on Friday morning, Brisbane-born Delta board member Greg Creed said he made sure Vegemite was available on board on the route.

“When we left LA, they had pies, Anzac biscuits, Tim Tams, so they went all out when we left LA,” he said.

Delta board member Greg Creed is originally from Brisbane. Picture: Brisbane Airport

Mr Creed said he was excited to be back in Australia to visit family, including his 92-year-old mum on the Gold Coast.

“I’m back here three times a year. I’m retired now. Normally I’ve had to fly into Sydney with Delta; I’ve always flown into Sydney and then I’ve got to fly up to Brisbane,” he said.

“This makes it so much more convenient for people like myself, but what was interesting is there were people on the flight that are going to fly to Melbourne.

“They found this more convenient to come to Brisbane to fly to Melbourne than actually fly to Sydney and fly on to other places.”

Passengers on the inaugural flight received an official certificate to say they were, and a gift bag.

The Airbus A350-900 has a capacity of 306 passengers and will operate three weekly seasonal flights.

Each aircraft can carry up to 20 tonnes of freight.

The first return flight back to Los Angeles will deliver a ‘taste of Queensland’ with chilled beef, seafood and mangoes on board.

Trade and Investment Queensland chief executive Justin McGowan said direct flights make a huge difference to the state’s companies that export to key destinations or those who plan to in the future.